


It’s Called a Fucking Date

by Pariis



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Aquariums, Fluff, M/M, What more can I say, they go on a date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-09 12:18:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18637975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pariis/pseuds/Pariis
Summary: Neil, as usual, left his phone in the dorm when he went out for a run. He hadn’t even thought to grab it before he jogged out of the building, so he didn’t see the text until nearly an hour later.I’m taking you somewhere when I get home. Be ready at 9





	It’s Called a Fucking Date

Neil, as usual, left his phone in the dorm when he went out for a run that morning. He hadn’t even thought to grab it before he jogged out of the building, so he didn’t see the text until nearly an hour later.   
  
_ A _ :  _ I’m taking you somewhere when I get home _   
  
_ A _ :  _ be ready at 9 _ __   
  
Neil frowned and glanced at the clock. It was eight thirty, but Andrew has texted him closer seven. He typed a quick reply and put his phone down to grab some clean clothes.   
  
_ N: where and why _ __   
  
His phone dinged and he looked at it again.   
  
_ A: the city and because I want to _ __   
__   
_ A: I haven’t been in a while _ __   
  
Neil responded quickly.   
  
_ N: can’t you go with Kevin or Nicky? _ __   
  
Neil pulled out something black from his drawer without looking at it. He decided at the last second to grab jeans Andrew bought him, figuring if Andrew didn’t approve of his normal clothing he would just send him back up to change anyway.   
  
_ A: it’s called a fucking date _ __   
__   
_ A: I’m taking you _ __   
__   
Neil smiled a little before dropping his phone on the dresser and heading to the bathroom. He lost track of time under the relaxing warm water and by the time he came out it was 9:15. He jumped a little when he noticed Andrew sitting on his bed, fiddling with the edge of his armbands.   
  
“Didn’t I say be ready?” He raised an eyebrow.   
  
Neil shrugged but didn’t reply, stuffing his dirty clothes in a hamper. He ran a comb through his hair, ignoring the way Andrew watched him. When he turned around and looked at Andrew, he stood up.   
  
Andrew led them out of the apartment without another word. Neil said a quick goodbye to Matt and Dan, who were curled up on the couch munching on cereal. Dan waved without looking away from the tv and Matt flashed him a smile.   
  
The trip down to the car was quiet. Neil climbed into the car and let Andrew get settled and start the car before asking, “Where are we going?”   
  
“A city.” Andrew replied as he pulled out of the parking lot.   
  
Neil rolled his eyes. “I meant specifically.”   
  
“The you should have been more specific.” Andrew turned the radio up, effectively ending the conversation. Neil didn’t mind much, and instead watched the world around him. It was busy, even for a Saturday. He people watched for a while, then let his attention slip to Andrew as they got on the highway.   
  
Andrew gripped the wheel with practiced ease, his hands tightening when he turned the wheel. He tapped his fingers to the beat of whatever song was playing - somehow Andrew seemed to always know them all. He slid his hands down to the bottom of the wheel and leaned back slightly. Neil was too busy staring to notice Andrew glance at him.   
  
“Staring.” He mumbled.    
  
Neil flicked his gaze up. “And what about it?”   
  
Andrew rolled his eyes and Neil turned his attention back to the window. He plugged in his phone when he got annoyed with a commercial break that seemed endless and picked out a playlist Andrew had. He skipped a few songs before settling on a Panic! song he knew.   
  
Neil frowned when Andrew missed the exit for Colombia.   
  
“Are we not-“   
  
“We’re going somewhere else.” Andrew answered.    
  
Neil felt anxiety pull at his chest. He didn’t like not knowing where he was going; a piece of his past he didn’t know if he would ever let go. He took a deep breath and reminded himself  _ I trust Andrew _ .   
  
Andrew didn’t miss the way Neil tensed. “We’re going to Atlanta.”   
  
“We’re going to Atlanta?” Neil sat up , his anxiety replaced with surprise.    
  
“That’s what I said.”   
  
“You didn’t tell me we were-” Neil looked at him incredulously. “I thought we were going to Columbia or something.”   
  
“I never said Columbia.” Andrew shrugged.   
  
Neil slumped against the seat. He looked at Andrew in utter confusion. “Why?”   
  
Andrew didn’t say anything and Neil thought he wasn’t going to reply when he said “You said last week you’d never been to an aquarium.”   
  
Neil’s brows furrowed. Andrew rolled his eyes at his  _ not boyfriend _ . “There’s a really good one in Atlanta. At least that’s what I read, since I’ve never been either,”   
  
“Ok..ay?” Neil still wasn’t following fully. Andrew ignored him and continued on.   
  
“And long story short I was thinking ‘ _ hey, we both had shitty childhoods and missed out on all the good stuff.’ _ So I decided we should do all that stuff now to make up for it. Starting with this.” He gestured in front of him vaguely.   
  
Neil felt that funny, warm feeling in his chest again as he looked at Andrew. In that moment all he could think was  _ how could anyone think Andrew was a monster? How could anyone think Andrew Joseph Minyard, who always paid attention, noticed the details no matter how small, and put meaning into everything he did, was a monster?  _ __   
  
“I think it’s a great idea.” Neil announced with a goofy grin on his face that definitely did not make Andrew ridiculously happy. “I can’t wait.”   
  
“Good.” Was all he said.   
  
The continued on their drive, stopping for snacks at a gas station after an hour. Andrew could hear Kevin’s disapproval as he picked out chips and candy and called it breakfast. Neil grabbed a protein shake and a premade sandwich and they checked out.    
  
They reached Atlanta by noon thanks to Andrews disregard for speed limits. Neil didn’t bother to hide his excitement as he climbed out of the car. They made their way inside and purchased tickets. Andrew paid despite Neil’s protests and dismissed him with a “It’s called a date bitch.” for the second time that day. Neil hoped it wouldn’t be a theme and made a silent promise to buy him something from the gift shop.   
  
The aquarium was amazing. Neil dragged Andrew along from tank to tank, pointing at different fish and reading out facts Andrew didn’t care about but would unfortunately remember. Neil pointed to a particularly grumpy looking fish and announced, “that's you.”   
  
Andrew looked at it before promptly replying “fuck off.” He moved to the next tank and found the ugliest possible one and looked at Neil. “You.”   
  
Neil huffed, and pointed to another. They continued on with their game, pointing out increasingly outlandish fish. Andrew even laughed at one and Neil felt strangely victorious.    
  
Andrew wandered off while Neil studied jellyfish, claiming “those freaky fucks scare me. I’m going to look at sharks.” It gave Neil the perfect opportunity to snap a few pictures of Andrew looking unfairly attractive under the blue light. Andrew catches him in the middle of taking another and flips him off.   
  
Neil decides that’s his favorite.   
  
“They have a touch pool.” Neil pointed out, pocketing his phone.   
  
“They do.” Andrew agreed. He looked at Neil with a bored look Neil knew was amusement. “I’m assuming that means you want to go?”   
  
“Obviously.”    
  
The touch pool was surrounded by children, but the two of them had no problem finding a spot at the edge. A stingray floated past and Andrew rolled up his armbands slightly. He then bravely stuck his hand in, his fingers gliding over the stingray. Neil followed suit, wrinkling his nose.   
  
“I don’t really know what I expected, but it definitely wasn’t that.”   
  
Andrew touched another and said “yeah, it is a bit weird isn’t it.”   
  
Neil hummed next to him.    
  
“I’m going to go touch a shark.” Neil nodded but stayed put and Andrew wandered off.   
  
Two fucking seconds he’d been gone when he heard a splash. He almost didn’t want to turn around.   
  
“Sir are you ok?”   
  
“Yeah I just-“ Neil sputtered, pulling himself out of the shallow pool. He was soaked from the waist down and dripped on the floor as he looked at the Aquarium worker. She looked almost as annoyed as Andrew. “I’m so sorry.”   
  
“Don’t let it happen again sir, or I’ll have to ask you to leave.” She stormed away with a glare.   
  
“You’re an idiot.” Andrew laughed at him.    
  
“Fuck off.” Neil smothered a grin. “Take me to touch the fucking sharks.”   
  
Andrew did, keeping a close eye on Neil the whole time. He waddled over, his nose wrinkling at the feeling of wet jeans. He much preferred the feeling of the stingrays, but the sharks were cool as well. He felt bad for the shark missing a fin and was about to say as much to Andrew when he caught him staring.   
  
“What?” Neil furrowed his eyebrows.   
  
“I hate you.” Andrew shrugged, looking away. He dried his hands off and rolled his armbands back into place, feeling immediately more comfortable. Neil smiled.   
  
They were almost finished with their aquarium trip. The last thing Neil wanted to see was the walkway under a tank. They waited until it was a bit less crowded then stepped into the tunnel.   
  
Andrew watched Neil more than the fish around them. He didn’t really like seeing the sharks so close and felt a little claustrophobic, but the grin on Neil’s face was worth it. Andrew caught himself, rolling his eyes at his traitorous thoughts. He pushed past Neil and made his way to the end of the tank.   
  
“Can we stop by the gift shop?” Neil asked as he emerged from the tunnel. The two of them made their way to the overpriced store and Neil wandered off. Andrew examined stuffed fish and crazy socks, touched the glass figures, and considered the snacks. He passed on buying anything and went to find Neil.   
  
“Find something good?” He raised an eyebrow as Neil checked out.   
  
“Yep. It’s for you.” He handed the plastic bag to Andrew and signed the receipt.   
  
“What is it?”   
  
“Open it and find out.” Neil thanked the man behind the counter and looked at Andrew.   
  
Andrew waited until they made it back to the car to open his gift. He slid into the driver's seat and pulled the item out of the bag; Neil took the plastic from him as Andrew unfolded the fabric.   
  
“A hoodie?” It was a simple black, with a small white shark on the front with the words  _ Georgia Aquarium _ below it.   
  
“If you don’t like it it’s fine,” Neil started. “You don’t have to keep it. I’ll take it or something.”   
  
“Fuck off, of course I’m keeping it.” Andrew scoffed. He slid it on over his shirt, ripping off the tags and ignoring the new clothing smell. Neil grinned and Andrew wanted to hit him.   
  
“I’m glad you like it.” Neil said with that stupid smile on his face again.    
  
Andrew tugged on Neil’s shirt to pull him closer and murmured “Yes or no?”   
  
Neil breathed a quick  _ yes _ and Andrew proceeded to pull Neil the rest of the way to him.   
  
Kissing Neil always made Andrew feel like he was burning. Neil’s skin against his sent sparks down his spine and the soft press on lips against his own was intoxicating. Neil curls his fingers in Andrew’s hair after a quick  __ can I? and Andrew nearly loses it.   
  
When they finally pull away, both of them are panting.    
  
“Thank you.” Neil mumbles and Andrew doesn’t have to ask what for.   
  
On the drive back to Palmetto, they share a cigarette in the dark. The glow of the embers seemed extra bright, the smoke blowing away quickly as the wind whipped through the open windows. It was too loud to hold a real conversation, but neither of them seemed to mind. When Andrew held his hand out over the transmission stick, Neil took it without a word.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> Please feel free to leave a comment/feedback :)


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